Keller on Idolatry

Tim Keller has been one of the most significant influences on my walk with the Lord over the past several years. Dr. Keller has a unique, fresh way of talking about the Gospel as it contrasts not only to life lived apart from God but also with legalistic religious practice. Dr. Keller is also most compelling when he discusses the idea of the idolatry that is at the root of the sin in our lives. Tim has put these ideas into what looks like a fantastic new book, Counterfeit Gods, due out in October. I came across these excerpts from the book's introduction online. Already in reading them I am being challenged to identify idols in my heart. I hope this is helpful to you as well. This might be a great topic to explore in our class!

"Each one has its shrines—whether office towers, spas and gyms, studios, or stadiums—where sacrifices must be made in order to procure the blessings of the good life and ward off disaster. What are the gods of beauty, power, money, and achievement but these same things that have assumed mythic proportions in our individual lives and in our society? We may not physically kneel before the statue of Aphrodite, but many young women today are driven into depression and eating disorders by an obsessive concern over their body image. We may not actually burn incense to Artemis, but when money and career are raised to cosmic proportions, we perform a kind of child sacrifice, neglecting family and community to achieve a higher place in business and gain more wealth and prestige."

"In ancient times, the deities were bloodthirsty and hard to appease. They still are."

"In Ezekiel 14:3, God says about elders of Israel, “These men have set up their idols in their hearts.” Like us, the elders must have responded to this charge, “Idols? What idols? I don’t see any idols.” God was saying that the human heart takes good things like a successful career, love, material possessions, even family, and turns them into ultimate things. Our hearts deify them as the center of our lives, because, we think, they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfillment, if we attain them."

"An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship."

"The Bible uses three basic metaphors to describe how people relate to the idols of their hearts. They love idols, trust idols, and obey idols."

"The way forward, out of despair, is to discern the idols of our hearts and our culture. But that will not be enough. The only way to free ourselves from the destructive influence of counterfeit gods is to turn back to the true one. The living God, who revealed himself both at Mount Sinai and on the Cross, is the only Lord who, if you find him, can truly fulfill you, and, if you fail him, can truly forgive you."

HT: Alex Chediak